Too Close For Comfort
by Encarta
Summary: Rory is back from DC only to be greeted by a packed pickup and an overexcited Lorelai. What happens when you put the Gilmore Girls and the Diner Boys in an enclosed space for 7 days and 7 nights? Things get a little too close for comfort. Lit JJ ON HOLD
1. Please Create A Cure For Boredom

_**Too Close For Comfort**_

Author: Encarta

Pairings: Rory/Jess with Luke/Lorelai undertones.

Rating: **T**

Timeslot: Beginning of Season Three. Jess is with Shane. Rory has broken up with Dean.

* * *

Chapter One

* * *

The phrase 'too close for comfort' had never been made more clear in her mind then it had right then. 

Sitting next to Jess Mariano in the back seat of a cramped pick-up truck was more than she could handle. It was a wonder her nerves had remained intact after the first three hours of driving. It just wasn't natural with all the meaningful glares he had shot in her direction combined with his annoying ability to turn every comment he made into a pointed remark that stung worse than anything else he could throw her way.

It made her extremely angry that he was being so childish about there whole situation. Yes, she had kissed him. Yes, she had run to Washington. But she had broken up with Dean and he was still sucking face with that Shane girl.

He had nothing to be angry about, and yet he still sat there with a scowl on his face, headphones glued to his ears and a book at his side, not uttering a word. He just left her there, entirely bored, with nothing to entertain herself with except her mother's singing and Luke's complaints_ about_ her mother's singing. No books, no music, just time to contemplate how she had gotten herself into this mess in the first place.

* * *

"Ah hah!" came Lorelai's muffled voice from under Rory's bed. Her room was unnatural dirty, with clothes strewn about the floor and piles of bedding and bags leaning against the wall. 

"Ah hah, what?"

"I found it!" she replied as she emerged, sporting her characteristic grin. Rory frowned as she looked at the item in her mother's hand.

"_A feather boa_? You've been searching the house for an hour and a half looking for a feather boa?"

"You obviously haven't heard about the mountain climbing incident of '99 and being your mother, I feel obligated to keep you informed-"

Rory sighed. "This should be interesting."

"Well, a few years back there was a group of climbers and one of them just happened to be a professional drag queen. I don't remember his real name but I know his show name was Starina-" she continued.

"Any relation to the character Nathan Lane played in the 1994 film _The Birdcage_?"

"None whatsoever. Now as I was saying, they were up in the mountain and of coarse Starina was wearing his lovely purple feather boa-"

"Of course."

Lorelai just glared at the comment and continued. "-when their ropes snap and they all fall."

"They all snapped at once?" she questioned.

"Yep."

"Well, that makes perfect sense."

"Wait until you hear the end. All fifteen of these people are falling and then just before they hit, Starina's magical boa gets caught on a branch saving him from his impending doom."

"What happened to the rest of the people?"

"They all died." Lorelai stated with a sparkle in her eye. Rory tried not to laugh.

"Aside from the fact that you just made that up, I'd say that's a pretty unique fairytale."

"Blasphemous child." She joked as she pinched Rory's cheek in mock compassion. "You spend a few weeks away from mommy and you think you're so smart."

"Smart enough to know that you have no idea how to pack for a camping trip. Remind me why we have to go again?"

"Because Luke told me that I wouldn't last a day without the comforts of modern technology." She stated as she stuffed more shoes into the bag by her side. "But what he doesn't know is that us Gilmore's are very clever animals who recognize the use of batteries and cell phones. Unlike Luke, who won't even spring for a cordless even when it risks the lives of his customers."

Rory smiled as her mother continued to talk. Despite what Lorelai claimed, Rory was almost positive that her motive for going camping with Luke was just that, so that she could go camping _with_ Luke. It was obvious that they liked each other, despite their obliviousness to each other's feelings, and maybe this trip would be good for them. Maybe Lorelai would finally be happy, even if it cost Rory her sanity at the fault of a certain dark-haired rebel.

* * *

That had only been yesterday and now her thought pattern had completely changed. She didn't think she could take it anymore. 

She looked over at Jess who appeared to be asleep, even with the music still blaring in his ears. _How could he sleep like that? _It was just too annoying.

'…_I'm on the highway to hell. No stop signs…'_

"How ironic." She muttered, while trying to steal a glance at the book by his side. After all, he was asleep, he wouldn't be needing it. She sighed, he was practically sitting on it and it was almost entirely out of view.

If only she could pull it out without him noticing…maybe even read a few pages…

She balled her fists in determination and then waved a hand in front of his face. No response. _Now was her chance._

She quickly reached over and tried to grab the binding, pulling it out slowly. She almost hit her head on the ceiling in surprise when she felt his hand enclose around her wrist.

"I just wanted to- I was just-" She stammered. _Damn. He was awake the whole time. _

Jess smirked and raised an eyebrow at her. "You were just what?"

"Nothing. I was just…going to roll down the window." She stated matter-of-factly. "It's getting hot in here."

"In that case, all you had to do was ask." He replied as he tapped the window button. He ignored the fact that her own window was still closed and settled back down in his seat. "I'm just full of good deeds."

She rolled her eyes at his sarcasm and rapped her arms around her shoulders, staring defiantly out the window. Now she was not only miserable, but cold as well.

* * *


	2. The Raccoon That Almost Killed Lorelai

**_Too Close For Comfort_**

A/N: Episode 8? You see, this is what happens when you don't get to be on the computer for the summer and have to rely on your best friend for information on a show that she doesn't even like, about an actor that she has never heard of.

**sweet raine (**_iluv2danceandwrite)_Wonderful and completely hysterical. The best thing you've ever written. _Really. _Flaming over a personal vendetta without even reading the story? You've stooped to a new low. Congratulations. And did you just copy and paste this into _JesseLover's _story as well or did you tweak it a bit, just for laughs?

Josiah (Joe-Sigh-Ah)

Mikeala (Mick-Kay-La)

On with this 'shit hole of a story'…

* * *

**Chapter Two**

* * *

The weeks that Rory had been in Washington were pretty close to uneventful. Yes, the news of her departure had hit the town hard and there hadn't been a spectacle worth talking about since Kirk had spilled ten gallons of orange juice into the duck pond behind Taylor's house. Even the infamous Jess Mariano had stayed out of trouble. Perhaps he had just gotten bored of putting on a show or maybe it was the summer heat.

Either way, the town was too quiet and it left Ms. Patty in a rut. _What good was it to be a gossip queen when there was nothing to gossip about?_ But lucky for Patty, she always seemed to be in the right place at the right time (for her liking anyway) and this time was no different. She was there, in aisle three of Doose's just in time to overhear an exchange between Taylor's bagboy and his cell phone.

"I can't believe you!" the tall floppy-haired boy all but yelled as he paced back and forth on the old linoleum flooring.

"Two years! It's been two years and _you_…_you! _Now? Why now? We're on the phone! We're not even in the same state!" Patty couldn't help but wince at the tone of his voice. She knew from experience that long time relationships were the hardest to end and Rory Gilmore wasn't exactly the epitome of romantic knowledge. "Don't you think I deserve better? Because I sure as hell know that I deserve better!"

"Yeah, I'm sorry too. Believe me, I'm sorry and I hope you two are happy together." He stated sarcastically through clenched teeth. "Don't even try to tell me that it's not about him. I'm not stupid. Yeah well, you two deserve each other."

_You two. _So Rory was dumping him for another guy, _over the phone_? She cringed, Poor boy.

"I don't…I gotta go." _Click._

As he hung up the phone and walked away, Patty shook her head. _This was big_. The whole town needed, or rather, _deserved_ to know about this. But Patricia did have a heart, a rather large one at that, and she wasn't one to pour too much salt on an open wound.

Maybe it would be wiser to delay the spread of this delicious piece of information? Maybe only tell a few select people about the details and let the rest spread on it's own? That seemed reasonable and Patty was a firm believer in the town gossip chain. New information spread like a forest fire until everyone knew and it became old news.

And that was her decision, to tell everyone tomorrow. To give poor Dean a chance to sort through his thoughts. It was a decision made with the best of intentions, and it had worked out extremely well for Mr. Forrester.

But the funny think about small town gossip is that there is always someone that hears everything last. And the news of Rory's break-up never breached the apartment above Luke's Diner where a seemingly absent dark-haired rebel sat drowning his sorrows in a book.

* * *

It was dark by the time Luke pulled up the dirt path that led to Matumbla Mountain. He parked just as the trail widened into a crudely designed parking area, and shut off the car.

The only sound that could be heard was light buzzing of Jess's headphones, a sharp contrast to the chirp of the crickets that surrounded them. It was peaceful and familiar at the same time.

He glanced to the side of him at a sleeping Lorelai and contemplated walking her up.

"…Luke…" She mumbled incoherently and he smiled. "…need coffee…" He frowned.

"Well at least you know what you're competing against." Came Jess's voice from the back seat. He could tell without turning around that the teenager was smirking, and Luke's frown quickly turned into a scowl.

"Shut up and help me carry some of this stuff inside." He replied as he opened the car door and stepped out.

"Whatever you say Uncle Luke." He mumbled, as he followed suit.

* * *

"So…this is it, huh?" Jess asked as he scanned the small cabin from front to back. It was only one big room, separated into two areas, a kitchen and a living room. He counted two doorways, which he assumed contained bedrooms and an open hallway that led to a makeshift porch with screened in walls. 

"Pretty much. Now there's only three beds, one in each bedroom and then this one." He pointed to the small cot in the corner of the living room. "But if you look under it there's a mattress which you can pull out against the wall. That will be yours."

"I can hardly contain my excitement." Replied Jess as he tossed his things onto the cot and sat down. The tone in his voice did nothing more than show Luke how badly Jess hated being forced into this trip and how much he resented being helpless to stop it from happening.

"Yeah well, I'm gonna go finish bringing the rest of the luggage in." he stated after a moment of silence. Jess just pulled out his book an began to read.

"Have fun." He stated simply without looking up.

Luke sighed. "Look…Jess…I know you don't want to be here." He started. "But you could at least-"

His argument was cut short by a scream that he immediately recognized as Lorelai's. His suspicion was confirmed as the quirky brunette sprinted through the door with her daughter in tow. Both were breathing heavily as they slammed the door behind them.

"I think-that was- the most exercise-we've had in the last-I don't know how long." Gasped Rory as she clutched the cramp in her stomach.

"I know! Did you see the size of that thing?"

"Somebody please tell me what the hell is going on." Interjected Luke as he headed for the door. Lorelai quickly jumped in front of him, waving her arms in a frantic motion.

"Luke, there was this small gray furry thing and it was just sitting there when I got out of the car, with it black beady eyes." She explained while motioning with her hands. "And I moved and then it moved and then Rory, bless her heart, opened the car door and I think it knew it was outnumbered because it ran and… God, I think I just had a heart attack." And with that she collapsed on the couch dramatically.

Luke raised an eyebrow. "You got attacked by a raccoon?"

"It was vicious I tell you! It could have eaten me!"

Luke sighed and looked at Jess who simply shrugged.

"Hey, don't look at me. This was your bright idea."

* * *

A/N: Yes, I will cover Rory's feelings on her pathetic break-up with Dean and her reasons for it. I will cover the conversation that resulted in Lorelai and Rory coming on the trip. And I will also stick in some flashbacks from Luke's childhood camping trips with his Dad and some Lit interaction. Never fear. 


	3. Rory Gilmore, Speechless?

**_Too Close For Comfort_**

A/N: I don't know exactly what ASP wrote as far as a past for Luke and his father so if I am directly contradicting anything from the show then sorry. Call this an AU then.

* * *

**Chapter Three**

* * *

She felt like the most horrible person in the world. She felt like a coward. Better yet, she _knew_ she was a coward. A yellow-belly. A scaredy cat. She was scum, the kind of scum that you find on the side of a fish bowl that you'd forgotten existed until three years later when all the fish were dead. 

She'd broken up with Dean and with that she felt relief. (It's not like breaking up with your boyfriend is against the law.) But that still didn't explain why she was crying or why she felt so horrible.

It was because she'd over thought the situation. It was because she'd left for Washington to think and she'd done too much. She spend her nights thinking about Dean and Jess and Dean and kissing Jess and breaking up with Dean and then kissing Jess again.

She thought about the many different ways to go about breaking up with Dean. She'd even thought about his varied reactions. _Sad. Angry. Mad. Furious. Disappointed. Revengeful. Miserable. _Maybe even a mixture of all of them at once. And when she thought of all of those things, it seemed that the pit in her stomach got larger and larger until she couldn't take it anymore. _She was afraid._ She was afraid to see the emotions flash through her boyfriend's eyes as she told him that the last two years didn't matter and that she didn't love him anymore.

And her biggest mistake was rationalizing her actions until she'd justified them in her mind and then picked up the phone. He'd told her that he deserved better and she'd tried to apologize, realizing her mistake much too late.

Because it was much too late to take her words back. _Dean knew_ and all of her fears were realized. Now she was not only a heart-breaker but a disappointment and a coward.

There was no justifying it. It just was. _A mistake_. The first in a long list of mistakes that she promised herself she would learn from. Because if you run away from your problems, they'll always catch up to you.

* * *

Luke was tired and slightly annoyed. He'd spent the last fifteen minutes explaining the new sleeping arrangements and how everything in the cabin worked. For example, drinkable water could only be found outside and had to be brought in from a spring about a mile down the road. 

On his way to show Lorelai where the path to get to the spring was located, he'd tripped on a rock and fell flat on his face. Now he was not only hurt but was being mocked incessantly.

_Wonderful._

Jess on the other hand, seemed to think the whole situation was hysterical. He just sat there on Rory's cot, (still having not bothered to pull his own out) reading his book and holding back a smirk, as if to say 'I told you so.'

Rory stood off to his right, quietly filing her clothes away into drawers. Her stance was guarded as she tried not to make eye contact or to even acknowledge Jess's existence.

There was only one problem with her carefully knit plan of avoidance. Jess was currently occupying her bed. Briefly she wondered if he was doing it on purpose, just to annoy her, but she thought better of it. As far as she was concerned Jess didn't care about anyone but himself and wouldn't bother to take the time out of his day just to make her miserable. It was simply too much work.

Fully convinced, she placed the last of her clothing into the drawer, shut it quietly and turned towards him. He didn't even look up.

She cleared her throat. "Ah…hmm…Jess?"

"Huh?" He replied, his voice in monotone.

"Could you…you know…move?" She stammered. "Off my bed?"

Jess looked up at her, brown on blue, and she suddenly felt the urge to disappear into the floor. He was still mad at her and it was beginning to grate on her last nerve.

"Why are you mad at me?"

"I never said I was mad at you." He deadpanned as he got off the bed and began to pull his mattress out from under it.

"You don't need to say it. You're acting like I did something horribly wrong. Like I-"

"Kissed me, ran away and went to Washington?" He offered.

"It wasn't like that okay? I was scared. I didn't know what to say and then Dean-"

"And yeah, what about Dean? Are you still with him? 'Cause last time I checked, you were, and I haven't heard anything to the contrary." His insinuation both shocked and angered her. He was supposed to know already and now she was going to have to tell him, a blow to her pride that she sure as hell didn't want to endure.

"That's none of your business." She snapped.

Jess just shrugged as he spread out on his cot. "Whatever."

Rory glared at him, looking for some reason to continue the conversation, for some way to beat him.

"You can't put that there."

He raised an eyebrow. "What?"

"You can't put your bed there. It's too close to mine."

"Why? Worried you'll roll off in the middle of the night and be so surprised by my presence that you'll just have to kiss me? You're right, that could be dangerous. Allow me too move right away." He replied sarcastically. Rory was suddenly filled with overwhelming desire to be able to blame him for everything, to be able to say 'You kissed me!'.

She wanted the upper hand but at the same time she knew that it was a lost cause. She had practically jumped him in a public place with her boyfriend only a few yards away, and now she was paying for it.

"Rory Gilmore speechless? Lorelai would be disappointed." Stated Jess as stared at the ceiling. Rory narrowed her eyes at him but remained silent as she picked up her copy of _1984_ and sat down on her bed to read it.

* * *

Lorelai was slightly overwhelmed, a fact that she quickly hid by terrorizing Luke. It was embarrassing really, that after only an hour of being stuck there she was already in over her head. 

But she didn't really blame herself, she just chalked it up to a classic case of misinterpretation. When she thought of camping she thought of Smores, roasted hotdogs, deer frolicking in an open field, maybe even a butterfly or two.

She did not however, prepare herself for the reality of being alone with three other people in a cabin hundreds of miles away from civilization, with killer raccoons. The silence was deafening, especially for someone who lived off of human interaction.

She sighed as she looked at Luke, who sat next to her in the porch/sun room. It was his fault that she was here. Subconsciously she knew that her reason for being here was her odd need to prove her worth to him but either way, he was the cause.

"So, whatcha thinking about?" She asked suddenly. It was more of a way to break the silence then a legitimate question. Luke seemed to snap out of whatever trance he was in and met her eyes.

"What?"

"I asked what you were thinking about. Anything dirty?"

Luke shook his head and smiled. "I was just...you know, thinking about my Dad. I haven't been here since he died."

"You never told me this was your dad's cabin." She suddenly felt bad, intruding on memories that were obviously dear to him.

Luke nodded. "Yeah, we used to come here every weekend. He'd close the store and we'd just go. He left it to me in his will."

"This must be awkward for you, you know, us being here."

"Nah, it's fine." He replied quickly as he got up and brushed off his pants. "I think I'm going to hit the sack. See you in the morning."

"Yeah, in the morning…" Lorelai trailed off as she watched him head out the door, leaving her to nothing but her thoughts.

* * *

A/N: The plot really picks up next chapter. New characters ahead. Oh, If anyone cares, I was born today. 


End file.
